Manage Stress during a Crazy Busy Time

The first week of school lends itself to a myriad of additional tasks and schedule juggling. How well do you manage your time and your emotions during this time of change and chaos?

Last week was crazy! If you are like me, you want to do everything you can to be a great parent, be there for the kids and provide for them as best you can AND take care of everything else that is required of you.

In addition, I am on this quest for weight loss. This means I work out every day and must carefully plan my meals. In other words, I need time for me too.

Sometimes, especially during times of great change like the start of a new school year, the demands made on you are huge and you become overwhelmed.

Eventually, you will create systems and structures for fitting in additional activities and demands on your time. But at first, it can be very stressful.

How do you manage to stay sane and juggle everything successfully?

With only so much time in the day, there will be limits as to what can be accomplished and how well you can accomplish everything. Overwhelm always means we must DO LESS, which is not so easy when there is MORE to do!

Here are a few strategies to consider for reducing overwhelm:

1) Get it done rather than striving for perfection.

Perfectionism can be a huge hindrance and time waster. Consider what is of greatest value. During crazy busy times, getting it done is more important than how well it gets done.

2) Procrastinate where possible.

Often we feel we must do it all and do it all NOW! But there are many things that we can let go of. If something can wait, let it wait. Practice prioritizing and assigning value to activities. Give yourself permission to put off things that are not priorities. This is responsible procrastination.

3) Delegate when able.

Do ONLY things that MUST be done BY YOU. Anything else, find someone to share the load. There are certain chores the kids can do. Other things have to be done by an adult, so consider…

4) Outsource priorities that others can do even better than you.

Pay someone to do things that are of value but that you, yourself, do NOT have to do. I recently hired someone to clean my home, something I do not enjoy doing and that takes up a considerable amount of time. She loves it and my home is clean.

Consider going out to eat one night during a chaotic week or pick up sandwiches.

Do what you can, let go of the rest. Rules can be bent during times of great change. The rules are merely guidelines really.

5) Give yourself a break.

Don’t give yourself such a hard time. You CAN do it all – just not all at once! You can only do what you can do. If you eliminate unnecessary stuff and focus attention on doing what is most important, you’ll feel good about all you do rather than beat yourself up for the things you cannot do.

6) Do one thing at a time.

Look, multitasking is fun but it CREATES chaos. Focus on the one thing that you choose to do and things will move along smoother. Then, you can shift your focus to the next thing. Trade your time for something of value. In this way, you get each thing done and spare yourself the stress of having a bunch of half-completed items.

Learning to live without overwhelm is a choice. Some people enjoy chaotic lives so take heed – don’t learn from them! Do what you can, focus on one thing at a time and you will be the very best you can be without getting yourself into a tizzy. You’re family will thank you.

Please Comment below – I would love to hear how you manage yourself during times of great stress and change!

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Comments

Hi Julie,
The most stressful thing for me this September has been preparing meals for my family and grocery shopping. I find myself bringing in fast food or ordering out more than I think is healthy or smart financially and I’m trying to find a balance. Thanks for the helpful post.
Loren